All kids should be involved in a fitness or exercise program. Although many kids participate in sports, their practices and games do not guarantee that they are exercising for the recommended 60 minutes a day. According to American College of Sports Medicine, kids should be working out at a moderate to high intensity on a... Read more »

Here is the Future of Fitness Imagine every minute of your workout being results-driven and having to spend less time exercising in order to lose weight. The Method CRA-Test® allows a person to look at their individual unique metabolic fingerprint at a cellular level. Although great trainers help with providing the programming to achieve fitness and performance... Read more »

The author Jenny Han wrote, “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” In Chicago, it sure seems to be true. Memorial Day to Labor Day in Chicago marks the best time to burn the candle at both ends. I feel there is nothing I can’t take on during the summer... Read more »

Rivals Combine Hits Chicago This Weekend Sports performance training has experienced prolific growth in the past 3 years. Organizations like the National Collegiate Scouting Association, The Parisi Speed School Franchise and Rivals have helped to shape the process of collegiate recruitment for young athletes. NCSA is the largest recruiting network. For over 15 years, they... Read more »

I recently hosted a Girl’s Self-Defense and Anti-Bullying camp at my gym in the West Loop. This topic has been on our docket for a long time, but it wasn’t until a friend reached out to me about 5 days after the Presidential election that I expedited its creation. Without inciting a political discussion, he... Read more »

DO WE NEED TO REALLY WORRY ABOUT POISONED HALLOWEEN CANDY ? The urban legend “never take candy from strangers,” has been passed on for decades. Oddly, there are hardly any cases of poisoned candy. However, in 1974 there was a case of a boy dying from a cyanide-laced Pixy Stix while trick or treating. However,... Read more »

Speed training is the most popular form of training for the youth athletic market. No matter what sport your child loves, they need to continue to become faster and stronger. If you want to improve your child’s overall performance in their sport, you need to place value on their athletic development, not just playing more... Read more »

15 of Chicago’s Best Birthday Parties for Kids If you have kid’s born in Chicago’s cold weather months then you are always looking for great places to host their birthday party. Chicago offers so many great places for kid’s birthday parties. Although I enjoy the outdoor, park-based parties, it is hard to plan for them... Read more »

5 Reasons to Attend the West Loop Art Fest There are a lot of great reasons to hang out in the West Loop. The constant changing face of the various corners makes each visit to the West Loop refreshing. This weekend is the highly anticipated West Loop Art Fest (Saturday and Sunday, September 17th and... Read more »

Everything you need to know to train your kid for a 5K race. 5K races are a perfect event for an active kid that works out on a regular basis. Do not worry if your kid is not doing a lot of road work right now, you can get them ready in a few weeks. ... Read more »

Meet The Blogger

Katalin Rodriguez Ogren

Katalin is the Owner of The POW! Gym (powgymchicago.com),which has been in the West Loop since 2001. She is a 4 time black belt and has 30+ years in the martial arts/combat sports. She is an international presenter and writer for both the martial arts and fitness community. Katalin is the mother of 3 children and married to the most handsome Chicago Firefighter. She is very active in the West Loop in Chicago and serves on the Board of Directors. Katalin is also consistently active with non-for-profits. She is author of the Book Weight Training for the Martial Arts and has written several training manuals.